Batteries, for the most part, have remained unchanged for the better part of the last several decades. While some elements have changed in a conventional battery, the size and standard battery life inside of most consumer products and electronics have remained greatly unchanged. At least, that was the case until Stanford University scientists recently announced they had designed a carbon battery with a far superior battery life. Carbon is an inexpensive material found throughout the world and is used in many different materials, ranging from water filters all the way to air deodorizers. Now, the scientists are still working on what is known as the pore connectivity. Carbon doesn’t have the same kind of connectivity element as is the case with standard batteries, which means there can be a reduction in the continual energy flow, should the pores stop connecting with one another. Once it is completely figured out how to correct this issue, the Stanford battery should prove to be not only more environmentally friendly, but a battery that can drastically increase the amount of energy that can be stored inside of the battery. The Stanford designer carbon battery is currently undergoing testing where the processing temperature is increased drastically, from 750 degrees to 1,650 degrees (Fahrenheit). This improves the pore volume by 1,000 percent. With the increase in internal temperature, it allows the battery to maintain continual connectivity power. As long as this temperature is maintained, there should be no problem using the carbon battery. There are all sorts of potential advancements that hinge on this battery potential. It is not just allowing a mobile phone to maintain a longer battery life and to avoid changing the AAA batteries on the remote control as frequently. This can improve the battery life on electric vehicles, which means the charge lasts longer, in turn boosting the driving distance a vehicle can travel without needing a charge. Currently, outside of the Tesla models, most electric vehicles are limited to under a 100 mile driving radius, which makes any real driving road trip impossible to do simply on an electric battery charge. The designer carbon battery may change that. Furthermore, spaceflight and exploration heavily depends on batteries, so with NASA and other international partners working toward restoring the exploration of the moon and Mars—and to also have a sustained human presence on the moon—these kinds of batteries may prove extremely beneficial and helpful for the crew and even all of...

DJ and music producer Sonny Moore loves smartphones and all the gadgets that come with them. That’s why he, Android, and Google have teamed up to bring us a new generation of phone cases. Moore—also known as Skrillex—is merely the initial partner in Google’s new line of Edition cases for Android phones. The idea behind the cases was simple, yet like nothing we’ve seen before in smartphone tech. They aimed to create a small, limited collection of smart cases for your smartphone. Each Skrillex Live Case is individually numbered, bears a print of the artist’s signature on the inside, and uses near field communication (NFC) to link itself to your phone, and yours alone. Your phone will know exactly which case it wears and will be able to receive content to match. A completely customizable shortcut button connects you to your favorite apps with a single touch. For the visual design, the partners settled on the theme of space. The three cases have a spacey, ‘the future is now’ meets ‘glory of the mid-1990s’ look to them (a smiling alien head, some robot machinery, the apparent inner workings of a microchip). They’re fun designs, but certainly scream ‘I’m a Skrillex fan!’. One of the more exciting features of the limited edition cases involves the thirteen different satellites Google launched for this special occasion. The satellites gathered images while dancing around in the atmosphere for five hours. These images became the slideshow type wallpapers each case equips your phone with. At night, the image changes to a star map that shows the night sky over your location. And naturally, purchasing a Skrillex Live Case will also give you VIP access to Skrillex content, including videos, photographs, and much more. “We’re constantly making videos, and taking photos, and making sounds. …So we’ll be sending random treats to the case that no one else will get.” —Sonny Moore, a.k.a. Skrillex Google hopes its partnership with Skrillex will open the path to collaborations with other artists. We already know that more Edition partners are coming, though they have yet to be named. The Skrillex Live Cases are available in limited quantities, and on sale now through the Google store. They’re selling for $40, and are so far only available for the Nexus 6 phones....

The lithium-ion battery is a consumer’s stored energy preference today because it provides a higher and longer level of energy for personal electronics and electric vehicles. However, the world’s lithium supply is controlled by a few countries and corporations. What comes to issue is whether the supply of lithium will be able to keep up with the demand for it, particularly as more vehicles with battery power roll out. Over a million electrically powered vehicles are on the world’s roads now, and given their proliferation, it’s safe to say that the demand for lithium will remain heavy. At current consumption, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that we have a 365 year supply of lithium. Given the expected exponential increase in consumption though, it’s foreseeable that the supply could be reduced down to less than 20 years. That potential issue requires immediate attention if we’re going to continue to move away from fossil fuels as an energy source. Cobre Montana is an Australian company that believes it can resolve the issue of a lithium shortage through its new extraction process. It involves extraction of lithium from micas that are much more abundant than the South American ores we now extract lithium from. The process from micas is far less costly than extraction from ores that have to be mined. Extraction can even be done without any mining costs because mica is thrown away. The mica can be obtained as a byproduct of mining. As one Cobre Montana executive put it, the world consumes about 38,000 tons of lithium a year, but Elon Musk wants another 38,000 tons. That’s where we have the foreseeable bottleneck. Utility companies in the United States are also attracted to lithium-ion because they’re familiar with it, and it’s available through established and reputable companies. Lithium-ion is the preferred choice of these companies for short-term energy storage. As technology develops and more lithium-ion customers purchase battery powered electronics and electric vehicles, more research and development funds will be invested to meet the increasing demands. Assuming Cobre Montana’s process can be implemented and commercialized, the issue of global lithium availability should become moot....

Manu Prakash, an Indian-born scientist currently working at Stanford University has already amazed the world in the past by building a microscope made completely of paper. Now the Meerut native has revolutionized science with a new computer innovation: a water based computer. Meet The New Stanford Water Computer This incredible new water computer has already taken the world of science by storm, but Manu Prakash claims that his major innovations are yet to come. Still, this new water based computer clock certainly deserves to be counted among them. Prakash, working with the help of two of his more advanced students, has once again achieved a major scientific and technological breakthrough using the most unlikely of resources. How The Water Computer Works What the Indian scientist has achieved is a fully organic computer system in which nearly microscopic droplets of water are trapped in a specially constructed magnetic field. When this artificially constructed magnetic field is rotated at a certain preset degree or angle, the droplets that comprise the inner workings of this water droplet computer move in a precise direction. This becomes the basis of a revolutionary new computer clock system. Why Does A Computer Need A Clock? Prakash has not only demonstrated the ability to devise a computer out of seemingly incongruous ingredients, but has also shown the way forward to creating an in-built computer clock that is destined to leave scientists gasping, while perhaps causing casual onlookers to wonder what all the fuss is about. Why does a computer need a logical and reliable clock, other than to allow buyers to know what time it is? The simple truth is that clocks, especially those built into modern computers, power nearly every piece of modern technology that can be named, from DVR’s, iPhones, Androids, and computer gaming systems, all the way up to more crucial implements such as; cars, military vehicles, and airplanes. Without a clock to synchronize the digital activity of any electronic device, they would soon fall into disastrous disharmony and thus be rendered completely useless. The New Computer Water Clock Is Breaking Big Prakash’s amazing new water clock is huge news precisely for this reason. By inventing a water computer, he has shown the way toward utilizing organic, completely safe, and toxin free components to make increasingly more complex and important technological devices. Such inventions could prove to have a huge impact on the environment. Promoting ecologically friendly technology is thus a major accomplishment in and of itself....

The small business is on the rise thanks to unexpected help from technological advancements like 3D printing and cloud computing benefits. 3D printing is helping some business owners grow and expand their products thanks to the innovative and quick design process supplied by these technologies. While many small businesses thrive in relationships with contract manufacturing partners, the 3D printing cloud offers a viable in-house alternative. An innovator can mock up a prototype and have it printed in a short amount of time. They are then able to test it on the market to see if it solves anyone’s problems. A product that can be created without having to worry if an order will be correct is a godsend for many business owners who lack the capital for a larger factory order. Instead, they can custom make and modify orders as they come. This keeps costs low and orders well in line for business. All they need to do is front the cost for the software and 3D printing machine—which is worth the investment if their business takes off. This keeps them competitive with bigger companies without worrying about cost ratio and markups. All they need is a viable product, a great website, and some solid marketing to really give the an edge in their specific market. Basic 3D printing for businesses does not cost much if they plan on using the printer to create high volume products over a long period of time. It is surely better than relying on a factory in Asia to make subpar products that may never get sold. A 3D printer gives small businesses the ability to create their products when a customer orders the specific product. They can also create different prototypes of the product to best determine the ideal shape, size and style of the specified item. 3D printing will change the face of how a small business works for the better. However, this would not be possible if it were not for cloud computing. The cloud is also an important aspect of small businesses because it allows them to use 3D printing without using large amounts of data on their server. Their intellectual property is protected online, and the cloud computing benefits keep their server from being overloaded with material. A specific cloud for 3D printing can hold all the information they need such as the prototype creation or the prototype design. This is a must for small companies that need the technology without the upkeep to do...